The DPW Monthly Contest is open to everyone - you do not need to be a DPW member. You do however, have to be registered (free, quick, and easy), if you are not already, and signed in.
There is a fee for each work of art you enter of $10 for DPW members and $14 for non-members. You may enter as many works of art as you wish
and may enter a given work of art in as many DPW contests you would like.

You may enter any work that is 2-D, original (yours), natural media (no digital prints or giclees) fine art. The work can be sold and does not have to still be in your possession.
All you need to enter is a high quality image of your artwork at least 600 pixels tall or wide.

At the end of each month, a new contest will begin, and the previous one will be judged for a period of one week.

At the end of judging, the three cash prizes will be awarded and the prize money will be directly deposited into each winner's PayPal account.
Because of this, when you register, please be sure to use your email address linked to your PayPal account. You can change your email address on your
Account Info page.

Win a Free Month as a Featured Artist!

In addition to the three cash prizes, the top 15 artists, including the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will receive one month membership free and one month as a featured artist.

Best of all, there is no limit to how often or many times an artist may win a monthly featured artist slot!

Being a Featured Artist will put your work up at the top of our What's New front page to be seen by over 11,000 daily visitors and at the top of our Daily Email that goes out to over 4,200 subscribers every day!

The month featured will begin when the prizes are announced and will end when the next contest's prizes are announced.
You can read more about being a featured artist here.

Anyone can enter - you do not need to be a DPW member! You do however, have to be registered (free, quick, and easy), if you are not already, and signed in.

Be sure to register using the email address you use for your PayPal account or you will not receive the prize money, if you win.
You can change your email address on your Account Info page.

Is there an entry fee?

Yes. There is a fee for each work of art you enter of $10 for DPW members and $14 for non-members.

We can only accept payment through
PayPal, so you have to have a PayPal account to enter.

What can I win?

Each and every month, you can win one of three cash prizes and be one of the 15 artists selected to be a Featured DPW Artist for one month!

Three cash prizes:

1st prize

$500

2nd prize

$300

3rd prize

$150

One Month free as a Featured Artist!

In addition, the top 15 artists, including the first three cash prize winners, will be featured for one month free!

Note: In addition to the three cash prize winners, more than 12 Judge's Picks may be chosen if any are already featured artists.
Our goal is that a minimum of 15 previously non-featured artist will be chosen and featured for a month after each contest.
So, for example, if 4 of the prize winners and/or the Judge's Picks are already featured, then there will be a total of 16 Judge's Picks.

Who is responsible for paying taxes on the prize money?

It is the individual winner's responsibility to declare and pay taxes on any contest cash prizes they are awarded.

How do I enter?

You enter by going to the current contest page and upload a high quality image of your artwork. You do not send the artwork to us.

How often can I wn?

There is no limit to how often you can be picked for one of the featured artist slots,
however, you can only win a cash prize once every 6 months.

Additionally, once a work of art wins a place prize (1st, 2nd, or 3rd), you cannot enter it in another DPW Contest.

Finally, only one entry per artist can win a place or a Judge's Pick per contest.

What can I enter?

Only Natural Media

You can enter any 2-D natural media, original fine work of art created by you. Reproductions, digital or otherwise, are not allowed. Giclees are not allowed.

Artwork and Image Size

There is no limit to the size of the actual work of art, however you must upload a high quality image of it, at least 600 pixels tall or wide.

Watermarks

If you include a watermark, please know that it may interfer with the judges appreciation of your artwork and may reduce your chance of winning.
So, if you include a watermark, make it as subtle and small as possible!

Subject Matter

Subject matter is not limited. Nudes are welcomed, however they cannot be explicitly sexual in nature. We reserve the right to remove any entry we consider
inappropriate and will fully refund your entry fee.

How often can I enter?

There is no limit. You can enter as many works of art you want in each contest and enter as many contests as you wish.

What if I don't have the artwork anymore, for example if it is sold?

You don't need to have the artwork you enter in your posession. All you need is a high quality image of your artwork to be able to submit. If your painting is sold, then congratulations!

What do I get if I win a month as a Featured Artist?

As a featured artist you will be on our Featured Artist page and, when you post work to DPW, it will appear with the work of our other featured artists,
at the top of our What's New front page to be seen by over 11,000 unique visitors a day, and at the top of our Daily Email,
which goes out to over 4,200 subscribers each day. You can read more about being a featured artist here.

What is the timeline of a DPW Monthly Contest?

Each contest will begin and be open for submissions at midnight (CST) in the morning on the first of each month.
You will be able to submit to that month's contest until midnight on the last day of the month, after which the
contest will be in judging for one week and the next month's contest will begin. Winners will be notified by email at
the end of the judging week and will be listed on the contest page, as well.

The cash awards will be paid when judging ends. Please keep in mind that the winner is responsible for paying any and all taxes. Read more about it in the FAQ here.

How is the month I am featured free?

If you are not yet a Member

If you win one of the 15 featured artists slots and are not a DPW member already, you will automatically be set up as a featured member when judging ends one week after the
end of the contest and you will not be charged for that free month of membership.

If you do not want to continue your membership past that month, do nothing and it will end automatically. You will not be automatically charged!
In the week before your free month ends, you will receive a reminder email. If you do want to continue your membership then you can do so by clicking
a link in the email or the "Sell with Us!" link at the top of the site and following the instructions to begin paying for the $12.95 a month membership fee
once your free month has ended.

If you are already a Member

If you are already a member when you win a featured artist slot, you will get your next month free, beginning at the end of your current billing cycle.

How do I receive the Award Money, if I win?

All award money will be paid by DPW directly into your PayPal account. Unfortunately we cannot make any exceptions, so you have to have a PayPal account to win.
You will not be charged any PayPal fees to receive the award, DPW will pay all fees.

Who is judging?

Each month we will have a different guest judge that we invite. Their judgement is the last word with no input from us!